The Outlaws
by D.D. Heal
Summary: Following the events of the last story. Gwen decides to leave Earth with The Outlaws in order to help her deal with her grief. It's there where she learns the origins of The Outlaws through a series of flashbacks.
1. Chapter 1

One

Holiday in Cambodia

The Black Rose arrives near a planet, the ships enters orbit and is making its descent. The Black Rose outside an abandoned town. We got off the ship and Star Warrior inspects the area. "Hmm, I'm picking up life readings. All of them X'Andi," he said.

"What's left of them," I said.

"We should be on guard, Tetrax. If what the other Plumbers say is true, then these X'Andi could be dangerous," Gwen said.

We entered the town square, only for us to be ambushed by the X'Andi; we took cover behind the fountain. "That could've gone better," Rad said.

"We need to split up, they're corralling us." We split up to take them on. Star Warrior enters one of the buildings and takes out an X'Andi sniper. "Darn, you're ugly," he said.

Xylene takes out a squad, while Rad takes out another sniper. "Is it me or are these X'Andi a bit disorganised?" Rad asked.

"You're right, we should end this before they call in more reinforcements," Pi said.

Rancid notices one of them fleeing from the battlefield. "There, one of them is fleeing and it looks like he's the leader. He's wearing a gold insignia," Rancid said.

I ran up to him and I use my powers to block his escape. He turns around and looks up at me. "Well now, Gen. Balnarc. This must be our lucky day. Seeing you flee while you men fight is sickening." Minutes later, we tied him and his men up in the town square. "Pi, contact the Plumber Corp and tell them we captured Gen. Balnarc," I said.

"You'll regret this, exile," Gen. Balnarc said.

Star Warrior knocks him out cold. "I hate it when guys like him monologue," he said.

The Plumbers arrive and they take Balnarc and his men into custody. "Good job with finding Balnarc and his men. The bounty has been paid into your account. I know we're short on manpower, but I need favour of you lot. We need a group to deliver some supplies to Revonnah. They're not weapons, they're medical supplies," the Plumber said.

"We'll take on the job," he said.

An hour later, we loaded the supplies onto the Black Rose and we left the planet. "It'll take us a few hours to reach Revonnah," Pi said.

"Good work, Pi," he said.

Gwen was sitting alone in the cafeteria when I showed up and sat opposite her. "You seem to fitting in well," I said.

"Thanks, it means a lot. I learned a little about how the Outlaws came together. I would like to learn more about the circumstances that led up to the Outlaws formation," Gwen said.

I told her the story how the Outlaws came to be. It started not long after Petropia was restored. It didn't take the other kingdoms long to figure out who was responsible for aiding Vilgax in the destruction of my homeworld. I was brought before the Council.

"Tetrax Shard, you have been brought to the Council to face charges of treason. How do you plead?" the High Councillor asked.

"Guilty, not a day goes by when my nightmares are haunted by the destruction of our homeworld. I was careless and reckless. I rather face death than a prison," I said.

"You make it seem you want to be redeemed for your past sins. Under current Petrosapien law, the charge of treason brings about execution. However, after some consideration, we spare you the death penalty. In gratitude for restoring our homeworld and our race, the Council hereby exile you instead to wander the galaxy. You are banned from setting foot on Petropia or any of our colonies. We have provided you a ship and supplies. Farewell Tetrax Shard and may we say, good luck," the High Councillor said.

I walk out of the Council Chamber and head over to a landing pad. I boarded the ship and left Petropia for the last time. "Computer, set course for the Lanning Cluster," I said.

"Any destination in particular?" it asked.

"Yeah, Kashmir," I answered.

The computer sets a course for Kashmir. The ship arrives and lands in a spaceport. I left the ship and head over to nearby bar. I sat down at the bar and two barflies notice me. "Well now, look who it is. If it isn't the Traitor of Petropia," one of the barflies said.

"What's new for Vilgax's lapdog?" the other asked.

My hand moves slightly to my blaster hoister, then things change when the barflies left. "That was cutting it a bit close," I said to myself.

I moved my hand away from the hoister. "You think? So, what'll be?" the bartender asked.

"The Long Shot and I'll keep the bottle," I answered.

The bartender gets me a bottle of The Long Shot and a glass. I poured myself a glass and I drank it. I must've been drinking for hours when Xylene arrived. "So, this is what you do in your spare time? Drinking Long Shot and get drunk," she said.

"Not now, Xy. I'm enjoying myself way too much," I said.

I passed out and she carries me back to her place. Hours have passed and I woke up. "It's not perfect, but it's a place to call home," she said.

"Thanks for the help," I said.

"What're you doing here? I've heard the news about your exile. I'm sorry," she said.

"There's nothing you could've done. I always knew I'd face the music someday for my crimes," I said.

"At least you stopped muttering your dirty little secrets. I'm just kidding. After some adventuring, I thought it was time to settle down. So, I chose Kashmir of all places. It maybe a desert world, but at least its home," she said.

"Uh-huh. I know you since the DNA Force was formed. What's really going on here?" I asked.

"I'm investigating rumours that a human gladiator is coming to visit the local gladiatorial arena," she answered.

"A human gladiator?" I asked.

"He's not here by choice. According to some good intel I received, the human crashed his ship on a penal colony in the Abnett System. Since then, he became a gladiator and has been travelling nearby star systems to fight in battles. Frankly, he's coming here and I intend to convince his owner to free him," she answered.

"Are you sure? I fought in those battles myself and the owners aren't the negotiating type. What makes you think he'll listen to you?" I asked.

"Oh, I can be persuasive," she said.

"And that worries me," I said.

Sometime later, we made our way to the arena. It's a full house and the crowd is excited. The gladiators come out onto the arena. "That's him, the one wearing the silver plated armour," she said.

They began to fight. "This makes me sick. We should free him," I said.

"His owner is in the box office. We should talk to him during the interval," Xylene said.

Sometime later, we head over to the box office to talk to the owner. The owner was talking to the team medic. The medic leaves, he turns and looks at us. "I don't talk to the press," he said.

"We're not journalists. We're here to negotiate," I said.

"If it's a gladiator you want, I'm willing to listen," he said.

"We want to buy the gladiator who fought in that last battle," I said.

"You mean the human? He's not for sale," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"He's one of a kind. Also, he's my prize-fighter," he said.

"Look, he's a human being. He doesn't belong here and the scars say so," she said.

"Perhaps we can offer a compromise. If the human wins, we get him for free," I said.

"Plus reimbursement fees and compensation for the years of harsh treatment he received," she said.

"I'm an owner, not a charity worker," he said.

"If the human loses, you still get to keep him and you can have me. After all, I fought in these battles when I was young," I said.

"Hmm, I may not improve of the compensation and reimbursement fees. But, you got yourself a deal. You might want to inspect him first," he said.

We head down to the dungeon; I and Xylene inspected the human. "The owner didn't tell me I was expecting visitors," the human said.

"Don't worry, we're here to get you out of this hole," I said.

The human takes notice of Xylene. "Hello beautiful. What's a nice piece of calamari such as you self doing in this part of the galaxy?" the human asked.

Xylene punches him in the jaw. "That's racist and did you just try to flirt with me?" she asked.

"Ow, yeah, my bad and I'm sorry about the calamari remark. I'm not use to all of this. Even after two years in space," the human answered.

"Did you say two years? What happened?" I asked.

"I was a pilot; I was testing out an experimental shuttle for NASA. The shuttle began to malfunction and I was able to save my co-pilot and the crew. I was nearly close to the escape pod when the shuttle began to fall apart. I made it back to the cockpit and I was jettisoned to a penal colony. I spent the last two years fighting in these barbaric battles. But the owner kept assuring I'll be freed someday," the human answered.

"We both know that's a lie. Listen, we got a plan to get you out of here. It may involve another barbaric battle. If we win, you'll be free and you get compensation and reimbursement fees," I said.

"If I lose, I'll spend the rest of my life here," the human said.

"Exactly, and the owner gets to keep me," I said.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"My name is Second Lieutenant Gavin Harlock," the human said. Later, Gavin enters the arena while we sat down in the box office. "You better give him a fair fight," I said.

"Not to worry, I'm totally non-biased," the owner said.

"And that worries me," I said.

Gavin's opponent enters the arena and Xylene is shocked by this. "You got to be kidding me? You're making him fight a Tetramand," Xylene said.

"You've done this on purpose to make sure we didn't win," I said.

"That's the idea," the owner said.

Gavin and the Tetramand began to fight. "Call the fight off," I ordered.

"You asked for this and I gave you what you want," he said.

Gavin keeps on dodging the attacks until he decides to take advantage of his opponent's strength. "That's the problem with you Tetramands. All muscle, no common sense." He attacks the knees and was able to dislocate his left knee. "Let me guess, the owner bribed you to make sure I lose? I thought so." Gavin punches him in the face, rendering him unconscious. "I ought to be glad you're not a female Tetramand. Otherwise, I would've been involved in a shotgun wedding and that's last thing I don't want," Gavin said.

The owner was left flabbergasted and he begins to cry over his loss. Sometime later in the office, the owner pays out a huge sum of cash as Gavin enters the room. "This should everything. You're a free man, now, Gavin," I said.

"Thank you for everything," Gavin said.

"You're welcome and you need to take a shower. I can smell you from here," Xylene said.

"Come to think of it, I haven't taken a shower in six months," Gavin said.

Later, Gavin takes a shower back at home. He puts on some clothes and gets out of the bathroom. "How does that feel?" I asked.

"Much better from the showers in the arenas. Especially when you don't have your rival trying to kill you. Thanks for the clothes." He sits at the dining table. "I got to ask: why did you free me?" Gavin said.

"So I can get you back home," she answered.

"Listen, I appreciate the thought. You know how I got here. Now I'll tell you the rest of my story. My life hasn't been perfect. My mom was an addict, while my dad was a washout martial artist who struggled to make it big in Hollywood. When I was eleven, he murdered my mom in a fit of rage. I came home to find my half sister cradling her lifeless body. Months later, the police found my dad hanging in a cheap motel room. We were placed in an orphanage." He notices Xylene's eyes were glowing. "What she's doing?" Gavin asked.

"Peeking into your mind," I answered.

"It was there when you had to make a very difficult decision. A couple were looking to adopt a child; it was you or your half sister, Amelia. The couple wanted to adopt you, but you suggested they should adopt Amelia instead. You said she deserves a better life, where she could have a family. The woman sheds a tear at your sacrifice and they decide to honour it. They adopted Amelia," she cries.

She bursts into tears and Gavin comforts her. "I made up for the tragedy by joining the Air Force. Sure my time wasn't perfect, I started a few bar brawls. I started the last brawl because I don't like bullies. There was this jarhead who tried to pick on one of the women. She refuses his advances and he grabs her hand viciously. So I punched him in the face and that's how I start the last bar brawl. I would've been demoted if it wasn't for the good word of my former CO. And the rest is history," Gavin said.

"You remind me of myself. We both share a common trait: we have a problem with authority. Do you want to back home?" I asked.

"That's the thing. For the last two years, I got use to living as a warrior. Now I'm free, I'm not sure if I'm ready for that. When I was young, I looked up at the stars with Amelia, wondering if there was more to life and the universe. I made it my dream to explore the stars and the galaxy at my own pace. I'll put my plans to return to Earth on hold until I explore what the galaxy has to offer," Gavin said.

"You do have a strong sense of honour and a strong moral compass," Xylene said.

I placed a pouch on the table. "This pouch contains your compensation and reimbursement fees," I said.

"Thank you," he said.

Morning came and we head over to a nearby arms dealer. "This is the best place to get armour and weapons. You're going to need them to survive. Not every part of the galaxy is willing to accept humans as an equal species," I said.

"We'll be around the corner if you need anything," she said.

Gavin enters the store and I notices the stock. "It's a bit over-the-top for an arms dealer," he said.

"I tend to get the best stock when available. How can I help you, sir?" the storekeeper asked.

"I'm looking for some decent armour and weapons," he answered.

"Judging by your appearance, I say you're human. We don't get your kind much on Kashmir, except for Plumbers. Let's check the current stocks to see what we got." He leaves the counter and goes through the stock. "Hmm, here we go. Try this on; this armour is one of a kind. It used to belong to a Plumber, I think his name was Devin Levin, but I'm not sure," the storekeeper said.

The storekeeper gives Gavin the armour, he heads to a changing room and he tries it on. "Do you get many customers around here?" he asked.

"Not a lot, but I do on occasion get the odd collector who's looking for a rare weapon." Gavin comes out of the changing room. "A perfect fit. I'll be back; I'm just getting the matching helmet." He heads to his office to get the helmet. He puts the helmet on Gavin's head and tinkers with it. "It may need some calibration. Here we go. Listen to me carefully; the gold button on the right cheek slides the faceplate into place. The silver button at the bottom of the neck removes the helmet," the storekeeper said.

"Gold button to slide the faceplate into place, silver button removes the helmet. Got it. Now then, all I need now is some weapons," he said.

"We got a fine selection. Feel free to look around until you make a selection," the storekeeper said.

He looks around until he gazes upon a pair of dual pistols. "What about those pistols behind the counter? Are they for sale?" he asked.

"You mean Queen and Ivy. These pistols are unique, one of a kind in fact. The Plumber Corp has a number of policies in effect regarding to how contracts are given out. When they first started the Proto Program, they need a weapon that can multitask. You know, to defend a Plumber, to protect a Plumber and the civilians. A few weapon manufacturers were out to develop the very first Proto-Tool. These pistols and another of Galvan tech were the only two weapons the Program were considering at time," the storekeeper said.

"I take it the Galvan weapon won?" he asked.

"It did, it had a number of features the pistols lack. However, there are some features that're exclusive to these pistols. The pistols can change ammo type, i.e. ricochet shots, armour piercing and grenades," the storekeeper answered.

"That's useful. How did you acquire them?" Gavin asked.

"The designer of those pistols was my cousin. Unfortunately, he died when pirates raided his ship. So I inherited them as it were and they're not for sale. Those pistols are the only memento of my late cousin," the storekeeper answered.

The gang then bursts in. "Okay, Salim, it's that time of the month," one of the gang members yelled.

"I don't understand, I already paid this month's protection money?" he asked.

"True, but we're going away for a month. So we're collecting next month's payment in advance," the other gang member answered.

Gavin press the button on the helmet and the faceplate comes down. "Leave him alone. He's an honest dealer making a living," Gavin said.

"Hey, you're new around here and that means you have pay us protection money," another member said.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Gavin said.

He grabs the member, uses him as shield and makes him fire his blaster into his friends' knees. "You son of a gun," the member said in anger.

He throws the member out of the window and the others aim their blasters at Gavin. "You're listening to All-Round Radio, the intergalactic radio station that plays every song from this sector to Earth. We have a request from a human Plumber based in Kashmir. Here's the Dead Kennedys Holiday in Cambodia," the radio DJ said on the radio.

The radio starts playing Holiday in Cambodia. "How about that? They're playing my song," Gavin said.

They opened fire as Gavin dives behind the counter. "What have you done?" Salim asked.

"I saved your life. I know what I'm about to suggest may cause you offense, but I need those pistols. I know its sounds like a tall order," Gavin said.

Salim gives Gavin his approval and he makes a run for the pistols. "Stop him before he gets a weapon," the third gang member yelled.

Gavin grabs the pistols and a shootout commences. Outside, I and Xylene witness a gang member getting thrown out of the store. "That's not good," I said.

"I was afraid this would happen. The Galton Gang, they're nasty and tenacious. They usually come here once a month to extort business owners for protection money," Xylene said.

"This is Gom, we need reinforcements. Some vermin is giving us trouble." The other gang members arrive and surround the store and the shooting stops. "We just want our protection money. Come out and no one doesn't have t get hurt," Gom said.

"Okay, you got us. I knew this gun battle was too good to be true. I admit, you got me fair and square." Gom orders a member to investigate the entrance, just as he opens the door. He gets blasted in the gut. "But you should really attention to the sound the pistols. I never those combine into a rifle to let off an energy blast. I'm calling it the Gut Buster," Gavin said.

We relieved to see he's alive and the rifle transforms back into the pistols. "Let's finish this maggot off before Ma-Ma gets angry," Gom said.

I intervene by placing a shield around Gavin and I joined him. "It looks like you can use a hand," I said.

We resumed the shootout and we managed to wrap things up. Gavin looks down at Gom. "You're a dead man. Ma-Ma doesn't like it when people refuse to pay up," Gom said.

"Who's Ma-Ma?" Gavin asked.

A huge woman comes stomping down the street. "That would be me. I heard someone was shooting up my boys. You dare deny me my payment," Ma-Ma said.

"These people don't owe you anything. You just an old hag looking for an excuse to make money out of these people," Gavin said.

She then becomes angry. "You really shouldn't have done that," Gom whispered.

She gets her shotgun out, she opens fire and Gavin dodges. He opens fire and hits her in the knee and she falls to the ground. Molly Gunther and a squad of Plumbers arrived at the scene. Gavin uses the helmet voice modulator to change the helmet's auditory function. "Well now, Tetrax Shard, what gives all the sudden?" Molly asked.

"These people need our help. They were terrorised by the Galton Gang," I answered.

"It looks like you did a good job at rounding up Ma-Ma and her boys. Booking these guys will take the best part of this afternoon," she said.

"Actually, it was," I said.

"It was me. I did most of the shooting. I did what I thought was right," Gavin said.

Molly looks at Gavin suspiciously. "You look familiar, then again, I see guys like you all the time. Now, who do I pay this combined bounty to?" she asked.

"I'll take the payment, the gunslinger here is new to Kashmir," I answered.

Molly gets her badge out and she uses it to pay the bounty into my bank account. "Okay, that's sorted. I don't know who you are, gunslinger. But you remind of someone I used to date. Unfortunately, he's dead. Have a pleasant afternoon," she said.

Molly and the Plumbers leave with the Galton Gang. Gavin changes the voice modulator back to normal and press the button to slide the faceplate back. "What next?" he wondered.

Sometime later, I gave Gavin the money he owes. Xylene notices something was off. "I notice you change the helmet auditory function when that Plumber arrived. You seem to know her?" Xylene said.

"Her name is Molly Gunther and we use to date. We didn't leave things in a great state before my doomed shuttle test. And its something I don't like to talk about. If she found out I was alive, well we probably picked up on the argument we had the night before the flight," he answered.

"I see. You seem to handle yourself well earlier," Xylene said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about what happened. I just don't like bullies," he said.

"I hear that," I said.

"Still, I got the armour and the pistols as a reward for saving Salim's life. Not to mention I may've found my true calling. I might as well take up bounty hunting. The galaxy is full of criminal vermin that need to be brought to justice," he said.

We then heard something in sky. "What is that sound?" Xylene asked.

I head outside to the balcony, grabbed of binoculars and looked up at the sky. "That's no meteor. Its an escape pod. Its heading outside of town," I said.

Gavin joins me. "Judging by the trajectory, the pod must've crash landed southeast outside of town. We should go there to see if there are survivors," he said.

He puts the helmet on and he flies out of the house. I and Xylene soon followed. We arrived at the crash site. "There's the pod," I said.

Gavin inspects the site. "My helmet is picking up a life reading." He opens up the door. "I got a survivor and she's alive," he said.

He picks her. Xylene takes a peek inside the pod and removes the black box. "This black box should give us a idea which ship she came from," Xylene said.

"Or which planet," I said.

"Who is she and more importantly, are there more?" Gavin wondered.

Back in the present, the alarm was going off. "We've arrived at Revonnah," Pi said over the intercom.

"It's time to get to work. I'll take you the rest of the story once we unload these supplies," I said.

We head over to the cargo hold.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

21 Guns

We landed on Revonnah and began unloading the supplies. Gwen was shocked to see the devastation the Elder One conflict had caused. "Is this what happened when the X'Andi invaded?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Tetrax told me a small portion of the story how you lot formed the Outlaws. From freeing Gavin to investigating a crash landing on Kashmir," she said.

I picked up where Tetrax left off. I was tending to the victim, while Tetrax conducts a background check on her. "Is she going to be okay?" Gavin asked.

"She received minor injuries during the crash. She's going to make it," I answered.

Tetrax manages to get some results. "I've found something. Her name is Princess Ramona, she's from the planet Dyras and get this. It was recently invaded by the Incurseans," Tetrax said.

"Incurseans?" he asked.

"They're a toad-like alien race, bent on warmongering. Over a millennia ago, their world was destroyed when a noble warrior tried to unite the Incursean Empire. Their current leader, Lord Emperor Milleous, like his ancestors is a tyrant. Like him and his ancestors, he possesses a ideology that everything in the galaxy must be conquered to compensate for the loss of the Incursean homeworld," I answered.

"I do not want to cross their path," he said.

The princess begins to wake up. "I think she's waking up." She wakes and finds herself in a strange place. "Don't be alarmed, Your Highness," Tetrax said.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Kashmir," Tetrax answered.

"I'm on the wrong planet. I was heading to Galvan Prime to get help," she said.

"Take it easy, Your Highness. You've been through a lot. Let's just take it easy and one step at a time," he said.

"The black box data checks out. She was heading to Galvan Prime," I said.

"My ship came under attack by the Incurseans. When they invaded, I was forced to flee my homeworld to the safety of the Galvans. They pursued me relentlessly until all who oppose their rule are eliminated. Some of my people sacrificed their lives to save me. I got into the escape pod, program the coordinates to Galvan Prime and I escaped. One of the Incursean fighters shot at my pod and that's how I ended up here," she said.

"If the pod crashed here, it wouldn't take the Incurseans long to figure out where she crashed," he said.

"Gavin's right. I'll do a flyby to see if you were followed, Your Highness," Tetrax said.

He leaves the house and heads to the spaceport. He flies his ship to the upper atmosphere. "See anything?" Xylene asked.

"It looks like the pod left some debris," Tetrax answered.

"We need to get off world and fast before we attract any attention. Come back down and we'll devise a plan," Xylene said.

Later, Tetrax arrives back at the house and sat down on the chair. "There's a chance it'll take the Incurseans a day to figure out where you are, Your Highness. Even now, you're not safe here," Tetrax said.

"What do you suggest?" Gavin asked.

"We can't take her to Earth. The last thing we want is to get your homeworld involved in a war with the Incurseans," he answered.

"Also, its too risky to head into Incursean space. We need to head to the Moebius Traverse," Xylene said.

"Are you suggesting we head to the only lawless sector in the universe? I'd rather stay here," Ramona said.

"Look Your Highness, the Moebius Traverse is neutral and just about every military force wouldn't dare set foot in the traverse without starting a intergalactic incident," he said.

"Plus, my homeworld isn't equipped to deal with the Incurseans," Gavin said.

"It's the only option available to us. I know you want to go back home, but right now. We need to keep running," she said.

"I concur," Ramona said.

"Good, we need a pilot who knows the Traverse inside and out," he said.

"What about Gluto?" she asked.

"He's retired, but I do know another pilot who can help. I hope he and his gynoid are cooperative," he answered.

Morning came; Gavin leaves the house first to check for Incursean patrols. "It's clear," Gavin said.

We left the house. "I can look after myself," Ramona said.

We begin to make our way to the bar. "I know you want to prove yourself. If what Tetrax said is true, then they could be here already. So where is it we're heading to?" Gavin said.

"It's a bar where pilots, bounty hunters and smugglers usually hang out. It's called the Leaking Engine. If you want transportation or someone to look for at the right price or something smuggled off-world. Then the Leaking Engine is the right place. My advice, don't order any of the drinks. It'll turn your intestines inside and out. The pilot we're looking for is Rancid," he answered.

"Rancid?" Ramona asked.

"He's a space Elf and he fought in the Osmosian Uprisings. Azmuth tried to recruit him for the DNA Force team, but he was on another job at the time." We arrived at the Leaking Engine. "We're here," he answered.

We entered the Leaking Engine, the bar was busy with aliens having drinks and conversing. Gavin then gets a sense of déjà vu. "Okay, now I'm getting déjà vu," Gavin said.

"I take it you've seen this before?" she asked.

"In person, no. On film, yes. I got a bad feeling about this," Gavin answered.

Tetrax manages to find what he's looking for. "There, if Pi is here, it means Rancid can't be that far. And there he is, sitting in the booth by himself," he said

We walked over to him, while Gavin sits at the bar. He makes conversation with the bartender. "What do we have here? You must be the guy who defeated the Galton Gang? I heard something that. Anyway, thanks for getting rid of them. They were making a dent in my profits," the bartender said.

"Glad to be of help," Gavin said.

"If you're thinking about going into the bounty hunting business. You should check you the terminals in the far corner of the bar. Every week, the Plumbers and various intergalactic law enforcement agencies upload the latest most wanted criminals through the terminals. There are seven levels. Levels one to four list criminals who committed less serious offensives. They're worth around between a thousand to a hundred grand. Levels five to seven list the more dangerous criminals. These can be from warlords, terrorists, you get the idea. The level five to seven fetches a huge payday," the bartender said.

"How much on average?" Gavin said.

"No less than thirty million," she answered.

He turns his head and notices a new image uploaded on one of the terminals. "Is that an Incursean?" he asked.

"Yeah, its common for law enforcement agencies to list certain Incursean officers. That guy I've seen in the news recently. He's responsible for spearheading the invasion campaign of Dyras. His name is Gen. Gomez," she answered.

He gets up and walks to the terminal. He downloads the information onto his communicator. He notices someone leaving the bar and follows him. The individual gets his communicator and Gavin aims his pistol at him.

"If there's one thing I don't tolerate and that's a spy," he said.

"Like everywhere in the galaxy, everything must belong to the Incursean," the spy said.

"Turn around and don't even think about using that communicator," he said.

The spy presses the button on his communicator. "You're too late, I've alerted the Incurseans and they're on their way to capture the princess. Who knows, they may spare you," the spy said.

He kills him with the pistol and he heads back into the bar. He heads to where Tetrax, Ramona and I are sitting. "We got to go; the Incurseans already know the princess is here. I killed an Incursean spy," he said.

"You're not kidding," Tetrax said.

"We should head to my ship. Pi, get the ship ready, we're leaving and we're bringing some guests with us," Rancid said.

Later, we arrived at Rancid's ship; Tetrax and Xylene were surprised to see Rancid's ship is actually the Black Rose. "Is that the Black Rose?" I asked.

"I thought it was destroyed during the Pirate Queen's Last Stand?" Tetrax asked.

"That's what I thought. I found it floating in a asteroid field near Arcadia. The engine was badly damaged, but the ship itself was salvageable. It took me seven months to repair the Black Rose. Not everyone was please to see the Rose," Rancid said.

"Is it fast?" he asked.

"The Rose has a drive core powerful enough to go into light speed. If we're going to the Moebius Traverse, I suggest we head to Tantalus Station. If I recall correctly, Dyras has a embassy based there," Rancid answered.

"Right, we can go the station ambassador and get help. Hopefully, my people should be there," Ramona said.

Gavin then hears something and he gets one of his pistols out. "We need to get moving. I can hear the sound of frogs?" he asked.

"The Incurseans are here. Let's go!" I shouted.

We boarded the ship the moment they arrived. We left the port and headed into space. In cockpit, Rancid sat down in the pilot's seat with Pi co-piloting. "There's an Incursean blockade trying to prevent our escape," Pi said.

"That's not good. Those are Dreadnaught class ships," Rancid said.

Tetrax and Gavin enter the cockpit. "They must want Ramona really that bad," Tetrax said.

"We can work what happened later. Right now, we need to head to the Tantalus Station," Gavin said.

"I got to agree with the human. Hang on, we going into light speed. Beginning light jump in five, four, three, two, one." Rancid activates the drive and we jump into light speed. "And we successfully avoided the Incurseans," he said.

"I don't like it. They went through a lot of trouble to find Ramona. I would like to know why they're after her. Something doesn't add up," Gavin said.

"You're just paranoid," he said.

"Gavin's right. Before we left, the coordinates on Ramona's escape pod suggested she was heading to Galvan Prime. Then she gets shot down and crashes on Kashmir. Something's amiss here," Tetrax said.

"Pi, how long will it take to get to the Tantalus Station?" he asked.

"We should arrive at the station in six hours. I suggest we rest up," Pi answered.

Gavin heads down to the cafeteria and contemplate on what's happened. Back on Kashmir, Molly arrives as the Plumbers arrest the Incursean squad. "We found an Incursean outside the town," the Plumber said.

"This day just keeps getting weirder," Molly said.

"We also found someone dead outside the alley near the Leaking Engine. It's a clear indication he's a spy for the Incurseans." He shows her a Incursean coin. "We found this on him," the Plumber said.

"First, we got a dead spy and now an Incursean hit squad. I guess whoever was in that escape pod must be worth something to the Incurseans. Examine the pod, I need to report this to Plumber Command," Molly said.

Back on the Black Rose, Gavin takes out a photo of Molly out of his jacket pocket and looks at it. He then experiences a flashback back when he was a pilot on Earth. He and his friends were celebrating his promotion. "Well now, Second Lieutenant, congrats to you Gavin," a pilot said.

"Do we have to call you sir?" another pilot asked.

"All right, that's enough. You got assignments tomorrow." They leave him and Gavin soon notices Molly Gunther. "Hello beautiful, what's a nice gal doing in a bar full of military personnel?" he asked.

"I'm visiting a friend actually. You seem to be in a good mood," Molly said.

"I got promoted to Second Lieutenant. The pay grade is nice, but I'm not sure if I want to book flights all day," he said.

"You'll do fine. My name is Molly Gunther," Molly said.

"Mine's Gavin Harlock," he said.

Gavin snaps out of his flashback and puts the photo back in his pocket. I entered the room and sat opposite him.

"Thinking of anyone special?" I asked.

"I've been about the first time I met Molly Gunther. I first met her in a bar; me and some of the pilots in my unit went out celebrating my promotion. We were dating for seven months before," Gavin said.

"If you don't like to talk about it. Then that's fine," I said.

"I've been meaning to ask. What is the Tantalus Station?" he asked.

"The Tantalus Station is the only space station in the Moebius Traverse that accepts Plumbers. Also, there are a number of embassies on the station. This makes it easier for species to find. Given the Traverse is mainly lawless," I answered.

"We've arrived at the Tantalus Station," Pi said over the tannoy.

We docked at the docking station onboard the station. We left the station and we were greeted by a Plumber escort. "Our apologies, Your Highness. Its only a formality." She gets a scanner out and she scans Ramona. "You're clean." She scans Xylene. "So are you." She scans Tetrax and the alarms go off. "Please surrender any keys, loose change, and weapons." Tetrax surrenders his firearms, while Rancid throws his sword and firearm to the ground. She then scans Gavin and the alarms go off. "This is interesting. According to my scanner, you're supposed to be dead," the Plumber said.

"Is that a problem because I ended up on a penal colony and spent the last two years as a gladiator? Until Tetrax and Xylene freed me recently," he said.

"These scanners are designed by Azmuth himself. Those scanners can't fool us, Second Lieutenant. The Station Supervisor is going to have a field day with this." She gets her radio out. "Ma'am, we got a situation. It's not the Princess that's the problem, its one of her guests. Wait, you know him? Okay, I'll send him up." She puts the radio away. "I'll have my men escort to you four to the Dyran embassy. As for you, the Station Supervisor's office is on the top floor and let's say that you got some explaining to do," the Plumber said.

Gavin places a listening device on her before he heads up. He leaves the docking bay, while the other head to the embassy. In the office, Gavin enters the room and notices all the classy furniture. "Armed guards at the door, classy furniture all round. You're not from the Moebius Traverse or any part of the galaxy? Which means you're from Earth, am I right?" She turns around and Gavin recognises her. "Okay, I wasn't expecting my former CO to be running the station," he said.

She walks up to him. "Take off the helmet." He presses the silver button and he removes the helmet. She slaps him in the face. "We thought you were dead. Then Max says to me, anyone who lands in that colony is dead. He never did like loose cannons," she said.

"Good to see too, Col. Sitwell," he said.

"Call me Antonia, we thought you were dead. Molly took your death really hard," she said.

"Who is this Max?" he asked.

"I was recruiting potential Plumbers and you were on top of my list. But Eli and Max thought you were a loose cannon with a problem with authority," she said.

"I still got that problem. Is me being alive going to be problem?" he asked.

"Not at all. In fact, I've taken care of things. I got your legal status changed from deceased to living. Plus I've taken care of taxes you owe to the government and all that," she said.

"Thanks and one more thing. Can you keep this between us because Molly and I didn't leave things in a great state," he said.

He leaves the office and heads back down to a district. He heads into a bar and begins to listen on the conversation between Ramona and the ambassador. "I'm glad you made it out in one piece. We feared the worst," the ambassador said.

"So did I, Ambassador. What's the latest on Dyras?" Ramona asked.

"Our latest intelligence reports suggest the Incurseans have already found the weapon and are in the process of digging it up," he answered.

Tetrax arrives and sits next to me. "The Princess is safe at the Ambassador's office," Tetrax said.

"I think I may've stumbled onto why the Incurseans are after her," Gavin said.

"You placed a bug on her. Its a violation of her privacy," Tetrax said.

"We barely made it out of Kashmir," Gavin said.

"With the power source in your possession. We may bought ourselves some time," he said.

"For how long. If they suspect my necklace is the key to powering up the weapon. It can put the entire galaxy in danger," she said.

"So that's why they were after her." The blackout occurs, leaving parts of the station without power. "Is this meant to happen?" Gavin asked.

"No and its weird. The station's emergency power generator should've kicked in," Tetrax answered.

Gavin puts his helmet on. He grabs something and slams him to the floor. They looked down on him. "Incursean Infiltrators, the Emperor's elite assassination squad. They're known for using cloaking technology," Tetrax said.

"If they're here, then Ramona is in danger once again," Gavin said.

Tetrax gets his communicator out. "Xylene, Rancid, we got a problem," Tetrax said.

Outside, I, Rancid and Pi were standing outside the Ambassador's office when the power went offline. "Pi, flashlights." Pi converts her hands into torches. "Hmm, odd the emergency generator hasn't kicked in," Rancid said.

Pi accesses the stations network. "I have detected multiple breaches in the security network. Someone has shut down the power to the main and emergency generators," Pi said.

My communicator bleeped, she answers and listens to the message. "We got a problem. The Incurseans have managed to followed us," I said.

"It would make sense given that this MO matches the Incursean Infiltrators," Pi said.

We burst into the office. "We have to go. The Incurseans are already here," I said.

We left the office and flee back to the hangar. "Pi, get the generators back online before," Rancid said.

"Warning, due to power failure. The station's oxygen supply is offline," the station's computer said.

"If the oxygen doesn't came online along with the power. Everyone on this station will die," he said.

"Pi, activate infrared vision," Rancid suggested.

Pi switches her vision to infrared. "I'm detecting multiple cloaked signatures and they're heading this way," Pi said.

She defeats them. Back at the bar, Tetrax and Gavin were having luck dealing with the intruders. "Warning, due to power failure. The station's oxygen supply is offline," the station's computer said.

"That's not good," Gavin said.

Tetrax picks up a Incursean Infiltrator and slams him to the wall. "What did you lot do?" he asked.

"Standard Infiltrator protocol, acquire the package, eliminate witnesses," the soldier answered.

Tetrax knocks him out. "If we don't get the power back on. Everyone on this station will die. My helmet's got a built-in oxygen unit. I can get to where the generators are," Gavin said.

"The generators are located at the bottom of the station. If you're going to that, you need Pi's help. She's the only one who can fix the glitches in the system." Gavin leaves the bar and heads down to the generators. At the centre, my communicator goes off and I answer it. "Xylene, we got a plan to get the generators online. But we need Pi's help. Pi, if you're there, I'm sending you Gavin's communicator frequency," he said.

"Got it," Pi said.

At the generators, Gavin enters the area and notices an Incursean squad guarding the generators. "What is taking them so long?" one of the Incursean soldiers asked.

"I heard they ran into trouble. Plumbers more like, right now, we need to make sure no one gets here," another Incursean soldier answered.

Gavin draws out his pistol and manages to kill them all. "That's too bad because I just got here. Pi, I'm at the generators, what do I need to do?" Gavin asked.

"Turn the network hub on and I should be able to access the station's network." Gavin turns the network hub on. "Right, I'm in. The Incurseans have uploaded a virus into the station's computer system. Its what causing the generators to go offline. I'm creating a cure program, hopefully it should destroy the virus," Pi answered.

"You better do it fast because it looks like reinforcements are on their way," Gavin said.

The reinforcements arrive and Gavin was able to take them out. "I'm uploading the cure program. It may take a couple minutes, I suggest you hang tight," Pi said.

Gavin notices one of the Incurseans was awake and he walks up to him. "Well now, I guess your conscious. Now then, you're going to tell me why you lot attacked this station and what makes the Princess a valuable target. I only gathered bits and pieces so far. I was hoping you can fill in the rest," Gavin said.

"I will never betray the Emperor," the solder said.

"I knew who would say that. You've seen what's happen to your buddies over there. I hate to see what I can do further. I'm from Earth and when I was young, I used to dissect frogs as part of my science class. I would love to imagined what would happen if I did the same thing to an Incursean," Gavin said.

He becomes scared by that thought. "Please, don't do it," the soldier panicked.

"See, the frog was already dead by the time the dissection began. To see it performed on a live specimen would be a most curious thing. You better not scream because it'll make my job a lot harder. Stay put, I'll go and get a scalpel," Gavin said.

He becomes terrified as he's about to leave. "Please, don't! I got a life to live for. I'll talk, I'll tell everything," the soldier cried.

"That wasn't so hard. Let's start at the beginning, the moment when you lot invaded Dyras," Gavin said.

Back in the city centre, Pi is uploading the cure program. "There, cure program uploaded, the virus has been eradicated," Pi said.

"Okay, what do I need to do next?" Gavin asked over the communicator.

"There should be a lever, pull it and then release it. It should jumpstart the generators," Pi said.

The lights came back on and power was restored. "Power is back online, oxygen levels have been restored," the station's computer said.

"Well that's good to hear," I said.

"We need to regroup; I got some new information that can shed light why a Incursean Infiltration team attacked the station. Bring Ramona and the Ambassador with you. Those two have got some serious explaining to do," Gavin said over the communicator.

Back in the present, we finished unloading the supplies when we heard the engine blow up. "Guys, we got a problem." We walked up to the ship and met up with Rancid. "We still got engine problems. So we're stuck here until get it fixed," Rancid said.

"I thought you got it fixed after the Trivium Siege?" Tetrax asked.

"So did I, I've been managing to keep it together until now. It'll take me the best part of a day to get it fixed. However, the generator is still functioning. We still got power and hot water," he answered.

"That's good to know," I said.

Rook Shar comes running towards us. "There you are," she said.

"What's wrong, Shar?" Gwen asked.

"It's Blonko, he still hasn't said a word and we're worried about him," she answered.

We rushed over to the home, Da waits for us and we arrived. "Thank the spirits you came. I've been worried about Blonko. He hasn't said a word since his return from Trivium. We tried everything to make him talk," Da said.

"I've seen this before. Excuse my language. Normal remedies cannot cure him. He's suffering from PTSD," Gavin said.

"What's PTSD?" she asked.

"It stands for post traumatic stress disorder," Gwen answered.

"When I was in the air force, I seen guys like Rook go through it. Some are reluctant to talk about their wartime experiences. While others only sought suicide as a means of comfort. It's not a pretty sight. I know what the condition does to a being. I'm going in there to talk to Blonko," Gavin said.

"What makes you think you can get through to him?" Da asked.

"I know what I'm doing. It could take a while. I better pray things go smoothly," Gavin said.

Gavin enters the house and the sun begins to set. "It's getting late, we'll be in the Black Rose if you need anything, Gavin," Tetrax said.

One of the Plumbers get the radio working and I listened to Green Day's 21 Guns. We got back onto the ship and called it a night.


	3. Chapter 3

Three

The House of the Rising Sun

Morning came as I woke up outside Blonko's bedroom. We've spent most of last night talking. I told him about my experiences in the Air Force. I left the house and Tetrax was waiting for me. "So, how did it go?" Tetrax asked.

"Went along better than I expected. He's sleeping. What's happening with the Black Rose?" I asked.

We then took a walk around the fields. "Rancid needs more time to repair the engine. So we're stuck here for another six hours at least," he answered.

We see the Plumbers helping the Revonnahganders rebuild their lives. "I've seen this sight a dozen times while I was stationed in Afghanistan back on Earth. Seeing the soldiers help the natives rebuild their lives. It's a sight that brings hope," I said.

"I hope you're right. I'll be on the south side, helping to get the generators online," he said.

Tetrax gets his hoverboard out and skates over to the south. I met up with Gwen. "Blonko's doing fine, he's going through the same thing you are. Having to deal with the loss of Ben. I've heard Tetrax and Xylene are telling you about our origins. I might as well tell you the rest," I said.

Time passed since the Incursean launched an attempted assault on the Tantalus Station. We met up with Ramona and the ambassador. "Thank you for saving our lives," she said.

I then confronted her about something. "I just had a chat with one of the Incurseans and what I learned was interesting." I grabbed her. "You the put the lives of everyone on this station at risk. All because of a necklace. Why do the Incurseans want it so bad?" I asked.

I let go of her. "You're right, I put everyone at risk, not intentionally," she said.

"Revealing our secret is treasonous," the ambassador said.

"While I was in the Air Force, one of the hardest lessons I had to learn was secrets get people killed. And that's what would've happened if I or Tetrax or Xylene hadn't been here. Now, are you lot going to tell us what's so important about that necklace?" I asked.

"During our last Civil War, we developed a weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. This necklace is the key to powering it up. After we declared a ceasefire, we buried the weapon deep, hoping it'll be used if an intergalactic war should arise," she answered.

"And the Incurseans are intending to find that weapon and use it," Tetrax said.

"According to recent reports, the Incurseans are interrogating some of our soldiers and scientists to determine the weapon's location. The only people who know the weapon's location is the Royal Family and the Council," the ambassador said.

"Hmm, years ago, I made a promise to never let an intergalactic weapon of mass destruction fall into the wrong hands. To this day, I still hold that promise. I'll be happy to help you liberate your planet and destroy the weapon for good," he said.

"I'm in," Xylene said.

"So am I," I said.

"What about you, Rancid?" he asked.

"Given I missed the opportunity to join the DNA Force, I'm in and Pi is spoken for," Rancid said.

"Knowing the Incurseans, it won't take them long to figure out their infiltration team has failed. So, we need to head to Dyras and liberate the planet," Tetrax said.

"Are you insane? That'll be suicide," the ambassador said.

"What other options do you have? The more planets the Incurseans invaded, the bigger the risk they pose to the universe," Rancid said.

"He's right, the Incursean Empire maybe big, but by liberating Dyras. We may give the universe some hope," he said.

"Well then, we better get started." Sometime later, we were onboard the Black Rose, heading to Dyras. I was sitting in the co-pilots seat, beside Rancid. "What's Dyras like, because I never been there?" I asked.

"The planet has been described as paradise, before it got invaded by Incurseans. Hmm, there's a travel warning issued by the Plumber Corp to avoid travelling to Dyran space," Rancid said.

"Figures," I said.

"And there's a blockade surrounding the planet," Rancid said.

"Great, now what?" I asked.

"Pi, as soon as we jump out of light speed. Activate the cloaking device. It should get us into Dyras without being spotted," Rancid said.

We pulled out of light speed and activated the cloaking device the moment we arrived in Dyran space. "So, how long do you think it'll take the Incurseans to figure out we're here with the Princess?" I asked.

"With the cloaking device active, who knows? Hopefully, we can avoid a full on confrontation. We're entering the atmosphere, stand by," Rancid said.

We entered Dyras and we landed outside the capital. We got out of the Black Rose and noticed everything has gone quiet. "Someone or something is blocking communication on Dyras," Pi said.

"No surprises there, Incursean military protocol states that communication should be blocked off to avoid any resistance," Tetrax said.

"Now that we're here, our first task is to find the weapon," I said.

"I agree," Xylene said.

"We should split into two groups. One group will find the weapon and the other will try to see if there's the resistance movement," I said.

"Sound like a plan. Your Highness, does the weapon have a unique energy signature, something that can help us in our search?" Rancid asked.

"It does, my necklace contains an energy signature which matches that to the weapon," Ramona answered.

"Scanning, I got the signature," Pi said.

"Tetrax, its best if you take the necklace. If one of us does get captured, it buys us some time," I said.

Ramona gives Tetrax the necklace and we then split up. I, Xylene and Ramona head over to the capital. Tetrax, Pi and Rancid head in the other direction. We arrived in the capital and soon encountered a pile of bodies. "It never gets old," she said.

"No it doesn't. I've seen this sight too many times and I doubt this'll be the last." We carried on exploring. "Is there anything we should know about the capital, Your Highness?" I asked.

"The buildings themselves are old, some predated our last Civil War," Ramona answered.

We stopped as I noticed a device attached to a pillar. "What the heck?" she asked.

"It's an improvised explosive device. I get the feeling that the Incurseans could be walking into a trap. We should hide before they arrive." I opened up a manhole cover and we head down into the sewers. "I should've apologised in advance, Your Highness," I said.

Xylene takes a peep and sees an Incursean tank driving up to the device and it triggered the explosive, causing the tank to be destroyed. We head back up and see the damage for ourselves. "If there's one good thing can be said about the Dyran Resistance is they know how to make an explosive device," Xylene said.

"Those guys in the tank never stood a chance." I picked up a dead Incursean soldier's communicator and I hacked into it. "I've gain access to Incursean military communication protocols. There's fierce fighting going on in the south of the capital near the Old Council Building and its losing battle for the Dyrans," I said.

Ramona becomes saddened what I said. "We must head over there immediately," she said.

We rushed over to the south where the fighting took place. The Dyrans were getting slaughtered when we arrived. "That's hardly a fair fight," I said.

"The Incurseans are known for fighting dirty," she said.

"We better in there and end this. Stay here when it's safe, Your Highness," I said.

Xylene and I joined in the fighting; we managed to defeat a dozen Incurseans before they retreated. "They're retreating. We've won!" a Dyran resistance fighter yelled.

"I don't like it," she said.

We then head a drop ship arriving and more Incursean soldiers stormed in and the fighting resumed. "This is not good. Tetrax, we've encountered heavy resistance from the Incurseans. How's your weapon search going?" I asked.

"Slow, they've set up dig sites around the countryside looking for the thing. We've encountered one dig site. We're moving onto the next one," Tetrax answered.

"We have to retreat," I suggested.

"Retreat, we Dyrans are happy to sacrifice our lives for our cause," another Dyran resistance fighter said.

"In case you haven't noticed, Ramona is here, standing in the alleyway. If they get their hands on her, its game over for the entire galaxy," I said.

The resistance fighters noticed Ramona and she runs over to them, but the Incurseans got to her first. "General, we got the Princess," an Incursean soldier said.

I shot in the dead. "Go! I got this," I said.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like? I'm playing the hero. Go, get everyone out of here. GO!" I shouted.

Xylene was reluctant to retreat. The Dyran resistance fighters and Ramona retreated while I hold them off. Xylene decides to stay and help me. "I'm not leaving. I didn't set you free for nothing," she said.

One of the soldier's fires a shot at me and I fell to the ground. Xylene is shocked to see me to get hit. The Incurseans rushed up to us. "Is he dead?" one of the Incursean soldiers asked.

The other checks my pulse. "He's dead, what a waste," the other soldier answered.

She becomes distraught by what she heard. "No," she said.

"Take them both to the volcano. Dr. Harland would be interested in new specimens," he said.

They carried me and escorted Xylene out of the capital and we head over to a volcano outside the city.

We arrived and I woke up to take out the escorts. Xylene was relieved to see me alive. "I don't understand. How did you survive?" Xylene asked.

"Osmosian hybrid armour, so I faked my death. Where are we?" I asked.

"Mt. Kaiya, this mountain used to be a mine until a eruption forty years back force them to seal off the mountain," she answered.

"What was the Dyrans mine?" I asked.

"Diamonds," she answered.

We heard drilling going on further up. We head to where the noise was. We saw a mining operation and we took cover behind a rock. "Well, the Incurseans just happened to reopen the mine. I hate to ask, just how much is a Dyran diamond worth?" I whispered.

"No less than two million," she whispered.

"It looks like the Incurseans are using the Dyrans as slave labour. Mining the diamonds out of the mine. I see several Dyran soldiers and oh no. Those guys are using kids to mine the diamonds," I whispered.

"This is despicable. This isn't the first time the Incurseans have employed child slave labour," she whispered.

"I know we have a responsibility to look out for Ramona. But that priority became moot, she's in good hands. We got a mine to liberate," I whispered.

We got to work on liberating the mine. The Incurseans we're encountered in the mine fight differently to the ones we encountered in the capital. They were sloppy and inexperienced. We managed to defeat them. Xylene destroys the shackles and frees the Dyrans.

"Are you lot all right?" she asked.

"No worse for wear, but thanks for getting us out. My name is Silas, I'm an officer in the Dyran army," he answered.

"Are there more of you?" I asked.

"There are, the Incurseans reopened the mine after they took over. I guess they want the diamonds to finance future invasions," he answered.

"There's also something else in the mine, besides the diamonds. Something arrived when the Incurseans took over. Days ago, we heard roaring coming from deep within the mine," another officer said.

We then heard a roar. "Like that?" I asked.

"Yeah," the officer answered.

"Here's the plan, free the others and get the heck out of the mine. I'll go and investigate the roaring," I said.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Silas asked.

"Yeah, I took out an Incursean Infiltration team on the Tantalus Station," I answered.

I went to investigate the roaring. It took me several minutes to find the source, I saw To'kustar being held against his free will. The poor guy was tied as a science team examine him against his will.

I heard talking coming from nearby and I went to investigate. "Please tell me you got some good news, Doctor?" Gen. Gomez asked.

"I checked in with the teams, they aren't making any progress with finding the weapon," a scientist answered.

"Hmm, I see, our Emperor is growing impatient and he wants results. Our latest intelligence gatherings have suggested Ramona is somewhere on Dyras. She may've hooked up with the resistance movement. Did our human Plumber prisoner reveal anything useful about Earth or the Plumber Corp?" Gen. Gomez asked.

"She's proving to be resilient. I've interrogated some senior officers in the Dyran army regarding the weapon's location, but they aren't being cooperative," the scientist answered.

"I see, I just received word Her Highness, Princess Attea is coming here to visit. Maybe she can get our prisoners to cooperate, Gomez out," he said.

A human prisoner, something doesn't add up. I walked behind the scientist and held him and gunpoint. "Don't move," I said.

"How long have you been listening?" the scientist asked.

"Too long, too long to know those kids you got caged don't deserve interrogation, Dr. Harland," I said.

We fought for a bit, until I got the upper hand restrain him. "Maybe we can come to a deal," he said.

"Sorry, I don't make deals with psychotic scientists." I threw him to a railing and cuffed him to the railing. I found the human and its no other than Molly Gunther. I punched him in the face for the way he treated her and the kids. "You make me sick, Harland. Now, what're you doing with that poor creature?" I asked.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Lie to me and I'll consider throwing you into the volcano," I said.

"I've been investigating the possibility of weaponising this To'kustar. As for the kids, its what I do in mm spare time. I enjoy dissecting things, especially on living creatures," he answered.

"I could kill for what you've done here." I punched him against and he became unconscious. "But that's not who I am." I head to the console and released Molly and the kids. Molly struggles to get up. "Take it easy, Molls. Take it easy," I said.

"So the rumours are true. You're really are alive, Gavin. It was a nice attempt back on Kashmir, voice changer, really?" she asked.

She sat down on the table, I press the button on the helmet and the face plate slides back. "How did you end up here on Dyras and how did you manage to get pass the blockade?" I asked.

"After that skirmish at The Leaking Engine, I began to investigate. I followed the trial to the Tantalus Station, but it was in lockdown by the time I arrived. Luckily, I spotted an Incursean Infiltration ship and followed it back here. I met up another Plumber, it turned out he's on the Incursean payroll and he got the better of me. I was dragged here to be experimented on by that madman," she answered.

"At least you and the kids are all right. I'm not alone, Xylene is breaking the others out," I said.

We then heard the alarms going off. "Attention! There's a mass riot in mine shafts three and seven. There's a breakout in progress, all off-duty soldiers report to your stations immediately!" the tannoy announcer yelled.

"Right then, it's time to go. Get out of here, I got one more prisoner to free." Molly and the kids left, while I head up to the console. "Let's see, here we go, don't worry big guy. You're almost free," I said.

"Do you honestly think you can save everyone?" Dr. Harland asked.

"That's where trying comes in, Harland," I answered.

"You disgust me, you think you're the hero who comes in at the last moment to save everyone. We both know you're not going to make it. This volcano erupts every hundred years and it's about erupt really soon," Dr. Harland said.

I deactivate the To'kustar's restraints. "We'll see about that." I flew up to the To'kustar. "Can you hear me?!" I yelled.

"I can. Thank you for releasing me," the To'kustar answered.

"We need to get out of here. This volcano is about erupt," I said.

"I can see that," he said.

I flew up to his shoulder, land on it and he makes his way to the exit. "I didn't get your name," I said.

"When one of my kind is born, we don't given a name. We care not for such a thing. My kind defend the galaxy and beyond the cosmos from threats," he said.

"How about Golem, it may not mean much," I suggested.

"It'll do. As a way of saying thank you for saving my life, I swear a life debt. If you ever find yourself in trouble, you can count on me to be there," he said.

"Thanks, I can see the exit from here. Just a few more steps and we're out of here." We then heard the volcano erupting. "Uh-oh, you better pick up the pace. This volcano is going to erupt," I said.

We rushed out of the volcano and it erupted the moment we got out. I flew back down onto the ground and met with Xylene. "We got everyone out and not a moment too soon," she said.

"Tetrax, are you there?" I asked.

"Barely, we evaded one Incursean patrol after the other. It looks like they haven't made much progress in locating the weapon. Thanks to the necklace, we're heading in the right direction," Tetrax said.

"All right, keep a low profile. We'll try to join you as soon as we can," I said.

We stopped for a moment and watched the volcano erupt. "We need to get to higher ground," Silas said.

We climbed up the hill to a safe distance. "That was cutting it close," Xylene said.

I flew back down to the ground. "A bit too close. It's clear the Incurseans have occupied the entire planet and liberating it isn't going to be easy," I said.

"We all thank you and your friend for rescuing us," Silas said.

"Is there anywhere we can go? We got women and kids who're hungry and we got wounded as well?" I asked.

"Before some of us got captured, Gen. Gren set up the resistance with hopes of liberating our homeworld. He set up camp to serve as a command centre," a soldier answered.

"Which way?" she asked.

We followed the soldier to where the resistance is camped. We arrived at the camp in the evening. Gen. Gren leaves the camp and walks up to us. "Now this is unexpected. We heard that Mt. Kaiya erupted, but we had no idea that we're expected a group of refugees," Gren said.

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.

"Nope, its obvious these people need food and medicine. Let's get inside." Sometime later, Gren's soldiers were tending to the survivors as I, Xylene and Molly met up with Gren. "Quite a thing you two pulled off. Liberating a mine and rescuing every Dyran. Most people would see that as impossible, but I'll let it slide. I know who you are, Xylene, but who's your friend?" Gren said.

"My name is Gavin Harlock and I'm from Earth," I answered.

"And the same can be said for the Plumber, am I right? Now then, can you tell why Princess Ramona is back here, rather than in the safety of Galvan Prime?" Gren asked.

"The Incurseans followed her and shot her escape pod down. It crash landed on Kashmir and we managed to got here. It wasn't easy, the Incurseans were relentless, they even attacked the station we were on," I answered.

"I see, according to my intel, her necklace is missing. Can you explain that?" he asked.

"We were made aware of your intergalactic weapon of mass destruction shortly after the Incursean assault on the Tantalus Station. Shortly after we arrived, we split up. I gave the necklace to someone I trust. If one of them does get captured, it'll buy you lot some time," I answered.

"Hmm, it was a good call. For the first time since the invasion, you've given my people some hope. But hope won't win us this war," he said.

Sometime later, Gren looks at the mountain range as I walked up to him. "I know that look. There's something on your mind, isn't there?" I asked.

"With most of the Parliament dead and our last ruler still out there. I'm wondering if this fight is winnable," he answered.

"Not every conflict can be won. Its one of the first things I learned when I enlisted in the Air Force back on Earth. It was there I learned a good leader rises from the unknown not because they want to become a leader, but they're driven to stand up for their people," I said.

"You got more wisdom than I have," he said.

My communicator goes off. "Excuse me, I need to take this call. Is there a problem, Tetrax?" I asked.

"I'm checking in. We may've found a potential dig site. The Incurseans are digging in the wrong places. We're sending Pi over to your location, she has the necklace. I and Rancid have begun to dig," Tetrax said.

"That's fine and all, but what's your plan after you recovered the weapon?" I asked.

"We got enough explosives to destroy the weapon before the Incurseans suspect a thing. Ah crud, we've been spotted," Rancid said.

We then heard a scuffle going on. "I hope you're listening to this, whoever you are," an Incursean officer said.

"I take it you're not Gen. Gomez?" I asked.

"I'm one of his officers, Lt. Har. It was clever of those Dyrans to set up decoys to fool anyone from finding the weapon. We had no idea that these two idiots would stumble onto it. Are you going to tell me where the power source is?" Har asked.

"I have no idea, Lieutenant. In fact, both the power source and the Princess must've left the planet by now. She'll be long gone and under the protection of the Plumbers. You just missed your chance to catch up to her," I lied.

"We'll see about that and I know your lying. Bring the power source to Gen. Gomez in the Palace at the capital and we may consider sparring your friends," Har said.

"If I refuse to do so?" I asked.

"Then they'll die along with everyone else. Have a nice evening," Har answered.

He hung up. Pi then flies in and lands in front of me. "Did I make it?" Pi asked.

"You did." Pi gives me the necklace and I hand it over to the general. "If you excuse me, General. I got an appointment with the Lieutenant," I said.

"I know what you're planning and I won't stop you," he said.

I flew over to the capital. Back in the present, Gwen isn't in awe by what I said. "Most people would find that hard to believe. That would explain how met Golem," Gwen said.

"The big guy was in bad shape when I busted him out. Since then, he made a full recovery." We then heard a couple arguing and we went over to check it out. "That must be Rayona," I whispered.

"Ben mentioned Rook had a ex-girlfriend," she whispered.

"Blonko is going through a hard time," Rayona shouted.

"How long do you think he'll last? Blonko is a empty shell with no trace of his former self. Its time to move on, you don't need him." He punches her in the face. "Its time to go home," the Revonnahgander man said.

I intervened. "Hey! Hey, back off. That's no way to treat a lady," I said.

"This isn't your concern," he said.

"It became my concern the moment you threw a cheap shot at her. Also, I wouldn't bad mouth against Blonko. Its true he's been through a lot, but he's a war hero," I said.

"I don't care what you said. Let's go home, Rayona," he said.

He tries to leave, but I grabbed his right arm. "A guy who hits a girl is a coward and what you did just now is unforgiveable. I'm taking you in for domestic abuse," I said.

I let go. "You two should've walked away when you two had the chance. If I were you, I back off before my friends get here and," he said.

I threw a punch in his face, slapped some handcuffs on him and cuffed him to a tree. "Don't even think about escaping from this tree. Are you all right, Rayona? Did he hurt you?" I asked.

Gwen tends to her. "I'll manage. Thank you for standing up for me," Rayona said.

I looked down on him. "If there's one thing I don't tolerate and that people like you who hit a woman hard." He grabs a rock, but I aimed Ivy at him. "You think a rock is going to kill me. If you ever come after her, I'll gun you down myself," I said.

We left the scene. "That was harsh," she said.

"Its mostly to send a message, I don't normally kill if the perpetrator forces my hand," I said.

My communicator goes off and I answered it. "Gavin, I just received from Rancid. He fixed the engine and we're ready to go," Tetrax said.

"That's good to know. Tell the others we're good to go," I said.

Later, we boarded the Black Rose and left the planet. I then began humming to House of the Rising Sun as I left the cockpit. I head over to the observation lounge. I see Gwen looking at the stars.

"I must've seen this a dozen times as I travelled across the galaxy," she said.

"When I was young, my mom used to hum to House of the Rising Sun during a road trip. It used to drive me nuts. She then said it's to keep our hopes up. I use to hum to the song, everything changed when she was murdered. Now, I hum to it when I go travelling across the galaxy," I said.

"So where to?" she asked.

"Rancid has set a course to Telos Seven. Hopefully the war hasn't effect the planet. It should take us a day or two to get there," I answered.


End file.
